The Tale Of A Bird That Couldn't Fly

So much for the bluebird of happiness.

Almost 5 years after the original release of 殻ノ少女, the story of Touko Kuchiki, a girl who wished to find her true self and ultimately to be free, finally comes to an end with the conclusion of 虚ノ少女. And yet, as if to reflect its title, the story has left me with a feeling of emptiness thanks to its abrupt and somewhat anticlimactic ending.

Since Innocent Grey insisted on pronouncing the names of both games as Kara no Shoujo, I will be referring to the second game as Kara no Shoujo 2 for the sake of clarity. With all things considered, the overarching story of the second game doesn't really have a very strong connection to its title. Indeed, the sole purpose of KnS 2 may very well be to bring closure on the fate of Touko. And by doing so, the game raises fresh questions that doubtless serve to pave the way for a sequel.

Thankfully (?) the rest of the game is nothing like this

Taking place two years after the original game, KnS 2 follows the private detective Reiji Tokisaka as he continues his search for Touko, who was kidnapped by the young writer and serial killer Shinji Mamiya. When a nurse is found dead in a grisly and bizarre manner, Reiji accepts the cocky superintendent Yaginuma's request to solve the case. He soon meets and enlists the help of Touji Aoki (from Cartagra) who provides him with useful information on the murder cases, as well as the whereabouts of Shinji.

Joining Reiji on his investigation is Tomoyuki Masaki, whom Reiji's sister Yukari saves from a suicide attempt. Sensing the link between Masaki and the cases, Reiji takes him in as an assistant to keep an eye on him. In the meantime, Yukari befriends her new classmate Yukiko Kayahara, a meek and mysterious girl who is troubled by recurring dreams of murders.

Masaki's true identify soon comes to light with the visit of his childhood friend Meguri Takamiya, who comes to Tokyo looking for Masaki's cousin and good friend Naori Kuroya. Reiji's investigation eventually leads him and Masaki back to the latter's hometown Hitogata, a secluded and traditional village in the snowy mountains of Toyama prefecture. Together with the hard-boiled Inspector Inui, they set out to confront and uncover dark secrets of the village once and for all.

その少女は、虚に支配されていた―。

Those who have picked up KnS 2 and expected something similar to the first game will probably be quite disappointed. Perhaps because it is a more original story than the first game, which borrows heavily from Mouryou no Hako and Jorougumo no Kotowari, the second installment of Kara no Shoujo feels rather different from its predecessor.

There's still the stunning art, the melodious music and the charming characters, but the atmosphere is a far cry from the madness and hopelessness that haunted the first game. Obsession and twisted love are ever present in Kara no Shoujo stories, but the tragedies in KnS 2 arise much less from genuinely disturbed and deranged minds. Unlike Tatsuhiko Kusaka and Shinji who have utterly lost touch with reality, the serial killer in the second game has a much more rationalized, albeit still twisted, motive. The contrast between the two games is clear, as KnS 2 is more restrained in its portrayal of murder and death scenes. Whereas Reiji failed to save most of the victims in the first title, he fares much better here and manages to prevent at least two deaths on separate occasions. One may argue that the emphasis of the second game isn't so much on the murder mysteries, but rather how people can come to terms with their past and move towards a better future.

Yukari may just be the best sister in recent memory

I may digress but Yukiko's role in the game is just too strange. Her shy personality does little to help the fact that her presence in the story is incredibly weak. For a supposed heroine, her story is largely trivial and her involvement in the main plot bears little to no real significance. Perhaps the writer has big plans for her in the sequel, though I fail to see how she is relevant other than the fact that she used to be a patient of Naori's.

Anyone who thought the first game suffered from poor pacing is in for a real treat. There's the lengthy Past arc which is awfully dull even by the usual standards of slice-of-life. Then there's the cute Yukari and her cute friends doing cute things. And then there's the notoriously slow game engine (fixed as of patch 1.01 I believe). Personally I find the frequent jumps between narrators a bit frustrating as well, because they often contribute nothing to the story and destroy what little sense of urgency there is.

Such issues however pale in comparison to the real problem with KnS 2 - its short and not so sweet true end. But I will touch on that much later.

冬子、ごめんな

From here onwards it's going to be full of spoilers, so good kids please go home now. Just know that despite the flaws in its writing and presentation, Kara no Shoujo 2 is definitely worth a read and there is absolutely no reason not to play it if you enjoyed the first game. 

久しぶりだね。

ずっとあなたに逢いたかった―

また逢えなくなるのは寂しいけど
ずっとそばにいるから―

もう、私は寂しくないから・・・・・・

Even though her role in the story leaves much to be desired, Yukiko is more or less the main heroine on the first playthrough. A pleasant but taciturn girl, Yukiko has difficulty socializing and spends most of her time alone. She is somewhat emotionally distant from her cheerful foster mother Fuyumi, who cares deeply for Yukiko but remains mostly unaware of the girl's personal troubles. Shortly after becoming friends with her classmates Yukari and Kohane Torii, Yukiko takes an interest in painting and joins the art club. She soon develops a strong attachment to Yukari, who likewise treasures their friendship. However, the reemergence of the religious cult Tenkeikai (a reformed Senrikyou from Cartagra) quickly puts Yukiko's peaceful life in jeopardy.

Unsettled by her deathly dreams, Yukiko seeks treatment from Naori at the Tenkeikai headquarters. It becomes clear that Yukiko suffers from borderline personality disorder, and the treatment is actually worsening her condition. As the story reaches its climax with her and Yukari's disappearance, Masaki investigates and finds Yukiko's diary, which recounts her dreams and reveals that she is the one who stabbed Kyouko Haduki, a café owner and Reiji's old friend (and a bit more). Yukiko's unstable self-image often culminates in a murderous frenzy that drives her to kill the people she admires and assimilate their traits. The reserved personality (and possibly the hairstyle) of hers is in fact copied from her late friend Mie, who was pushed off a bridge by Yukiko and crushed by an oncoming train. In one bad end, Yukiko kills Yukari and adopts perfectly the mannerisms of Reiji's beloved sister. She even cuts her hair later to look just like Yukari. Call me weird but it was kind of hot.

Further proof that it's okay when it's girl on girl

The second playthrough features additional scenes and dialogue changes, which are aimed at providing a better idea of what was going on exactly in the Past arc. So don't skip it when the game promotes you to.

Set in the Hitogata village before the Pacific War, the Past arc tells the love story of Ayato Hingami, the heir to a family business of pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Satsuki, a pretty girl in a pretty red kimono. Now add an unlucky childhood friend, a clingy younger sister and a best buddy who never gets anything. Put them through happy days of silly drama and seemingly everlasting peacefulness. And we have ourselves the perfect recipe for a harem show. 

If it were only that simple.

The Past arc is really about how the lives of a group of youth are ruined by their families' lust for wealth and power. In a story where everyone is related to everyone else, some people are just a little more related than the others.

The beginning of a love that wasn't meant to be

Had he known that Satsuki was actually his half aunt, Ayato would have probably thought twice before he made sweet love to her. Probably. But what truly doomed their relationship was the fact that the Satsuki (砂月) he had fallen in love with was really Ayako, the double for his fiancée and half sister Satsuki (皐月).

The illegitimate child of Ayato's grandfather Hideomi and cousin Saya, the quiet Ayako was burdened with the unholy task of committing murders in place of Satsuki. It was a tradition that every healthy Hinagami daughter was to be raised as a miko at the Shigusa shrine, and married back into the family later. All good. The problem was that the miko had a very specific duty - to dispose of those who became seriously ill due to the family's illegal clinical trials and disguise their deaths as a curse by the local deity. In her mother Saya's eyes, Ayako was nothing more than a sacrifice to protect the sanity of Satsuki, who Saya had an obsession with for being the former miko Rika's daughter.

Why is Saya such a bitch?

I think it's fair to say that Ayato's womanizing father would have done everyone a massive favour if he didn't sleep around so much. Most importantly, Rika wouldn't have killed Inspector Inui's sister out of deep jealousy or taken her own life. Which meant that there would have been much less reason for Saya to conceive Ayako, therefore saving everyone the trouble and grief. But we can't have nice things and that's why Saya is such a crazy bitch.

So we have Satsuki who was jealous of Ayako's intimate relationship with Ayato, and Ayako who was envious of Satsuki's status. It all went horribly wrong one fateful night when Satsuki tried to kill Ayako in a moment of madness, but ended up getting overpowered and strangled to death herself instead. The insufferable Saya decided that this was a wonderful opportunity to amputate Satsuki right in front of Ayako, and keep the severed limbs for collection. She then tied the limbless body to the torii and went about her usual business like nothing had happened. You so crazy Saya.

Ayako was soon hurried away to avoid the police. In Tokyo, She successfully gave birth to Ayato's daughter who she named after the late Satsuki. But things took a turn for the worse when she almost suffocated the baby, much like she did with the other Satsuki. Fearing for the child's safety, Ayako left Satsuki in the care of an orphanage and underwent personality adjustment with Doctor Rokushiki. Ayako was no more, in her place was the bold and friendly Fuyumi who would continue to be tortured by her past, but at least her murderous tendencies had been suppressed.

Distraught over Satsuki's passing, Ayato sought death on the WW2 battlefields but miraculously survived everything the war threw at him. He would come back to the village and resolve to find the truth behind Satsuki's death. While questioning Saya about the severed limbs that were hidden underground, her insolent attitude drove him over the edge and he finally put an end to her sad life. Quite easily too. Realizing what he had done, Ayato ran away to Tokyo and lived there for the next decade using the name of his fallen mate, Tomoyuki Masaki.

Should've just gone for a ménages à trois instead

Finally we get to the bittersweet true end, which concludes Reiji's search for Touko and raises more questions than it answers.

Near the Okutama reservoir where Shinji has been sighted, Reiji comes before an abandoned house which used to be occupied by Naori. With the help of Yaginuma, they break in and find what appears to be a rather rundown delivery room. Reading Naori's journal, Reiji learns that the pregnant Touko had died of cardiac arrest, but Naori did manage to deliver the baby - the same kid who Reiji had unknowingly held in his arms once. With a heavy heart, Reiji watches on as Masaki digs up the graves near the house before taking the shovel himself and unearths Touko's skeletal remains. He promises to find the baby for her and, having lost someone he loves for the second time, lets out a cry of profound anguish.

Cue the closing credits.

What a cliffhanger, what a sequel hook. It's amazing and bizarre how little screen time was given to Naori. This is someone who hid Shinji and Touko; killed the young writer and took up his pseudonym; looked after the limbless mother and delivered her baby; helped Nanako kill and bury her despicable father, and very likely compelled Yukiko to commit murders as well. Now he's taken the baby away and gone missing. Why? It may be another five years until we find out.

But be of good cheer. In death Touko is at last free.

Soon the light may disappear, nothing is meant to last. Yet we believe our world, searching for happiness.

The bluebird flies away.